Inquiry Unit: Homes
Level: Kindergarten (Early Years in the PYP)
Transdiciplinary Theme: Who We Are
Central Idea:
We build our homes from what we have to suit our environment.
Lines of Inquiry:
- Different materials
- Different kinds of homes
- Different kinds of environments
Inquiry Unit Key concepts:
- Form, connection
Related concepts:
- Structure, impact, relationship
Skills
- Research skills – formulating questions, observing, collecting data, recording data, organizing data, presenting research findings.
- Self-management skills- spatial awareness, fine motor skills
- Communication skills – listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, presenting
- Thinking skills – acquisition of knowledge, comprehension, application
- Social Skills – accepting responsibility, respecting others, cooperating, resolving conflict
Attitude:
- Appreciation, curiosity, enthusiasm, respect
Profile:
- Knowledgeable, Inquirer, communicator, open-minded
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
- What types of homes do people and animals live in?
- How does weather, climate and geography affect the type of home we live in?
- How do the materials in our environment affect the type of home we live in?
Teaching Resources:
Movies: Finding Nemo, Pengu the Penguin, Bambi II
Materials: Clay, Lego blocks, old sheets, used boxes, various toy animals, finding nemo poster, classroom display of different environments, toy house, underwater posters.
Books: Sam and Pepper’s Tree House, Penguin book, Bird’s Nest, At Home, A Tree is a Home, A monster House, There’s No Place Like Home, Animal Homes, Turtles, Panda Book, Animals That Build, Whose House Is This, The New House, A House, In My Home, Commotion in the Ocean.
Coloring Sheets: coloring pages for animals, animal homes, people homes, various worksheets of animals and their homes.
Manipulatives: ice cubes to make igloos, tree trunks for log cabins, mud blocks to make mud homes.
Unit of Inquiry teaching ideas:
